Long Beach Police Department and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Team For Safe Disposal of Prescription Drugs

The Long Beach Police Department is once again joining forces with Long Beach Memorial Medical Center to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Pharmaceutical Take-Back initiative, along with several other law enforcement agencies around the nation.

This initiative seeks to prevent increased pill abuse and theft through the collection of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. Previous events the department hosted yielded hundreds of pounds of pharmaceuticals and we are hoping this event will be just as successful.

The event will offer a drive-thru service that is free and anonymous. Drivers never have to get out of their vehicles and can simply drive up to a disposal bin. The driver of the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th participating vehicles will be awarded a pair of Aquarium of the Pacific tickets. The event will be held as follows:

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medications that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Prescription drug abuse in the United States is increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to their availability. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medications, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away … both potential safety and health hazards.

Once collected, the unwanted pharmaceuticals will be turned over to the DEA who will safely destroy the drugs. For more information regarding the National Take Back Initiative, visit www.dea.gov or contact the Long Beach Police Department’s Drug Investigations Section at (562) 570-7221.